“He’s going to get a lot of stick from people for taking legal action against him. He’ll get a lot of grief in the street and down at the pub.

"He claims that he knows Steven, Alex and Lee. That’s why this has been such a shock for everyone.

“Paul says he knows Alex and Lee a lot better than Steven. Alex is best mates with Lee’s wife. They mix in the same circles.”

The friend said that Mr Lloyd, a keen bodybuilder, used to boast that he had been in Gerrard’s luxury home and was “made up” when he met the star.

He has been director of at least four dissolved companies – a sandwich shop and three property development firms.

Worrying time: Alex and Steven (Photo: John Powell)

The friend said: “I don’t know what he does. I know he’s owned a couple of properties in the past, but I don’t know if that’s where he earns a living.”

Mr Lloyd is believed to have hired top legal firm Mishcon de Reya to fight his case.

It could all go ahead as Gerrard prepares for the game’s biggest tournament, which is due to kick off in June, and will be an unwelcome distraction for the player and for manager Roy Hodgson.

Gerrard and McPartland – who runs a corporate hospitality firm which works closely with Gerrard’s children’s charity – are understood to have spoken to police about the incident.

In a separate twist, PC Helen Jones, 33, is due to appear at South Sefton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, charged with misconduct in a public office over allegations she tried to obtain CCTV footage of the incident.